Harry Potter and the Philosphers Stone
by kubby12
Summary: Christmas at the burrow with the Potters, Weasley's, Lupin and Sirius starts out like any other year. Until a strange present arrives followed by strange visitors.
1. Prologe

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter Books or any of its characters and the words in bold are JK Rowling's_**

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Prologue

As usual things at The Burrow were as busy as ever what with six young boys to deal with and at Christmas time too. Molly and Arthur were running around trying to get everything ready for when the Potter's arrived.

"Arthur where are the present's?" called Molly, looking stressed as she sat in the sitting room tidying up the boys after breakfast.

"I'll fetch them now Molly, dear." Arthur replied as he hurried upstairs.

Just then a knock on the door made them turn around.

"I'll get it Molly" said Arthur hurrying towards the door and opening it a crack he asked "who's there?"

"It's us." Came the hushed voice of James Potter through the door. "James, Lily and Harry Potter. Also Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. You invited us over for Christmas."

"Sorry," said Arthur. "But I had to check. It's not the safest of times still."

"It's fine Arthur, really" Lily smiled as she walked inside. "We understand."

The young Weasley boys all broke into happy smiles as James and the others walked in. They had met the Potters as well as Sirius and Remus many times before but they were always happy when they came round. Bill and Charlie being the oldest were acting more mature than their younger brothers but they too were excited.

After a while once things had died down and almost all the presents had been open and the rubbish tidied away things were starting to calm down in the sitting room. Ron and Harry both only being very young had been put in a play pen to keep then out of trouble. The twins were running around and causing havoc even though they was only 2 years old they was causing trouble early. Percy was 4 and sitting looking at a new book they Lily and James had brought him and Bill and Charlie being the eldest (Bill is 10 and Charlie is 8) were sitting on the sofa joking between them.

"I guess I better start to make something for lunch" said Molly standing up.

"One second Molly" said Sirius. "There's one last present under your chair."

"So there is" replied Molly looking confused. "I wonder whose it is."

She turned the package over and to her surprise say a letter attached to it. Pulling it off she opened it up and read it to herself. By the end of it her eyes were open wide and she looked scared and confused. Everyone was sharing worried glances and even the children had gone quiet as they watched their mother.

Arthur looked at her concerned. "Molly dear are you alright?"

Molly passed the note to Arthur who took his time to read it.

"What is it Arthur?" asked Remus "is everything alright? What's the note say?"

Arthur looked up and cleared his throat then started reading the note in a clear voice.

_Dear Weasley's, Potter's, Lupin and Sirius,_

_First I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas. This is a rather special present and I want you to read this note very carefully before you decide if you open the present or not. In this package is seven books from the future that concern all of you in some way or another. Not everything that happens in the future is good. However not everything is bad. If you decide to read these books then open the package up and the first book will be in there. Once you have finish with the first book put it back in the package and the second will appear. After the second book the third will appear and this will go on up till you reach the end of the books. If you decide to read these books then after the first chapter or so we will come back and read the books with you so that you don't do anything rash before the time is right. If you decide not to read the books then just leave them alone and they will disappear in an hour. We leave the choice up to you. It will take a few weeks to read these books and maybe some of the things that happen in them will be changed. If you start reading and still have questions then we shall answer them when we arrive._

_From_

_The Golden Trio and family_

A shocked pause followed then end of this. Everyone was looking at the note that Arthur was holding as if they couldn't believe it.

"What does it mean 'we will come back'? Come back from where?" asked Remus.

"I don't have a clue" replied Sirius. "It said the books were from the future so maybe this Golden Trio will come back from there."

"I suggest we floo Professor Dumbledore" said Lily. "He'll know what to do."

"Good idea. Arthur may I?" asked James pointing to the fire-place.

"Yeah sure" said Arthur getting out the floo powder and giving it to James.

As James stuck his head in the fire-place Remus took the note and sat there mumbling to himself as he looked at it. A moment later James pulled his head out of the fire and Professor Dumbledore appeared in the fire-place. He stepped out and smiled at everyone over his half-moon glasses.

"May I see this note please Remus?" he asked.

"Of course Professor" said Remus passing over the note.

Dumbledore took the note off Remus and after a moment of carefully reading it he looked up and smiled.

"It appears we have a decision to make." He said quietly. "We can either read these books about the future or we can simply wait for them to return to their own time."

"I say we read them." Said Sirius at once. "They sound like they could be fun."

"I never thought I'd see you wanting to read a book Padfoot." Said James laughing.

"Shut up" mumbled Sirius going red.

"Don't you think they could be dangerous Professor?" asked Molly looked worriedly at her children, mainly the older ones who were listening to the conversation.

"No, I don't believe their dangerous" said Professor Dumbledore looking kindly at Molly.

Arthur looking at Molly. "Let's take the boys to Aunt Muriel's."

"Okay." Agreed Molly. "But let's keep Ron here as he's so young."

They agreed this was a good idea and after Arthur quickly took the boys to Aunt Muriel's they sat down.

"Well I guess we read then." Said Arthur, opening the package up and looking at the first book. He gave a gasp of surprise.

"What's wrong?" asked Remus.

"The first book" said Arthur. "It's called _**Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone**_!"

"Harry Potter?" repeated Lily looking scared. "That can't be our Harry could it?" She glanced at James who shrugged.

"Only one way to find out." He said. "Why don't you read the first chapter Arthur and we can take it in turns after that."

Arthur nodded and opened the book.


	2. The Boy Who Lived

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters, all works in bold are JK Rowling's.**

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Arthur opened the book.

"**THE BOY WHO LIVED**" He read

"What it mean the boy who lived?" Asked Sirius, growling. "It sounds like someone has already tried to kill this boy!" If this really was about his godson and someone tried to hurt him they would pay for it.

James and Lily shared a worried look. This couldn't be their Harry. He was just a baby!

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.**

"Didn't your sister marry a Vernon Dursley?" asked James.

Lily nodded and frowned. Why would her sister be in a book about magic? He sister hated magic and anyone who used it.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. **

"That made what?" asked Sirius

"A kind of Muggle tool." Replied Lily.

Sirius still looked confused but didn't ask anymore.

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbours. The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.**

"Hey!" cried James. "What's wrong with us Potter's?"

"A lot." Muttered Sirius and Remus laughed quietly next to him.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good for nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. **

"Er, is unDursleyish even a word?" asked Molly.

"I don't believe so Molly" replied Dumbledore.

"What does she mean 'good for nothing husband'!" said Lily angrily. "My husband is a hell of a lot better than hers is!"

James smiled proudly and pulled Lily close to him for a hug.

**The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbours would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"A child like that!" yelled Lily. "What's wrong with my son? He's probably a lot better than hers"

James pulled Lily close to him again though he too looked pretty annoyed with the statement. Sirius and Remus were sending death glares at the book. Harry and Ron looked up from the playpen they were sitting in at the loud noise but soon started playing again.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.**

"And she's trying to say my child's bad" huffed Lily

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.**

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.**

"**Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house.**

"Little tyke?" Asked Molly sounding disgusted. She'd never let her children get away with something like that.

**He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive. It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar—a cat reading a map. For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen—then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive—no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs.**

Dumbledore frowned. A cat reading a map? It couldn't be Professor McGonagall could it? But why would she be there of all places?

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

"Sounds boring" said Sirius.

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.**

Everyone shared a look. Why would wizards be out like that where Muggles could see them?

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes—the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt—these people were obviously collecting for something… yes, that would be it. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.**

"Amazing things that Muggles think up to explain things they don't understand." Said Arthur, smiling.

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at night-time. **

"Something big must have happened" said Remus. "It would explain what people are not being more careful."

"Maybe Voldemort's gone!" said James happily. Molly and Arthur jumped at hearing the name.

"Sorry" said James looking at them.

"I hope that you may be right Mr. Potter however let's not jump to conclusion just yet" said Dumbledore looking interest. He hoped Voldemort was gone but at the same time it was a very unlikely idea at the time.

**Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery. He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. These bunches were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

"**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard—"**

"—**yes, their son, Harry—"**

"What?" cried Lily. She went and picked Harry up from the playpen. "If these books are from the future then it means our Harry, right?" She asked as she sat down.

"I guess so" said James, holding his wife. I just hope he's ok, he thought.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.**

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialling his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his moustache, thinking… no, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. **

"Harold?" snorted Sirius. "Like Lily would give her son a name like Harold."

"Or Harvey" added Remus, laughing as well.

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her—if he'd had a sister like that… but all the same, those people in cloaks…**

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

"**Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passers-by stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**

Arthur gasped and Molly clutched his arm. You-Know-Who was finally gone? It seemed too good to be true. Around the room people were staring at each other in disbelief. He was gone.

"I don't believe it." Whispered James as he and Lily stared at each other.

"I bet you defeated him, sir." Said Remus looking at Professor Dumbledore. He had always admired the Professor after everything he had done for him.

"Thank you, Mr. Lupin but I do not believe it was I who defeated him." Said Dumbledore softly.

"Who do you think it was then?" asked Sirius. He always thought Dumbledore was mad but surely even Dumbledore couldn't believe it was Harry who defeated Voldemort. Harry was just a baby.

"I have a suspicion." Replied Dumbledore with his usual twinkle in his eye. "But I'd like to wait and see if I'm right."

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

"How can you not approve of imagination?" asked a horrified Molly.

"Believe me if anyone can not approve of imagination it will be him" said Lily.

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw—and it didn't improve his mood—was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

I wonder if that is McGonagall, thought Dumbledore. But why would she be there?

Sirius was sure now that it was McGonagall. He looked at Remus and raised his eyebrows. Remus gave a small nod which Sirius knew meant they was thinking the same thing.

"**Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. **

Sirius laughed. Typical Minnie, he thought.

**Was this normal cat behaviour? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!"). Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

"**And finally, bird watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"**

"Well we certainly are celebrating." Grinned James.

"Can you blame people?" Sirius replied. "It's probably the best day of our lives. Finally knowing we're safe."

"But people should still be careful." Argued Arthur. "It would be bad if the Muggles found out about wizards after all this time."

"You both have a point" interrupted Dumbledore before Sirius could respond. "Could I ask that we carry on reading for the moment though?"

"**Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early—it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."**

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…**

"Woo, the scary Potter's" said Sirius causing James and Remus to laugh.

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er—Petunia, dear—you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

"Why would I be talking to her?" muttered Lily as she hugged Harry.

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

"**No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

"**Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls… shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny looking people in town today…"**

"**So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

"**Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… you know… her crowd."**

"He can't even say Wizards?" said a shocked Molly.

"Nope." Said Lily. "They hate everything to do with us."

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son—he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"**

"**I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

"**What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"**

"**Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"No it's not!" said James getting angry.

"Yeah Harry is an Awesome name." Said Sirius.

"**Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."**

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.**

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did… if it got out that they were related to a pair of—well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind… He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on—he yawned and turned over—it couldn't affect them…**

"Too right it wouldn't affect them." Said James. "We would never go to them for help."

"Yeah that's what you have us for." Said Sirius pointing at Remus and himself.

"And us too" Said Arthur whilst Molly picked up Ron and nodded.

"You know you can come to us for anything." Added Molly.

**How very wrong he was.**

"Uh-Oh" muttered James.

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

People gasped and looked at Dumbledore, who looked like he was deep in thought.

"Why would you be there professor?" asked Lily.

James, Sirius and Remus were staring at the Professor with open mouths.

"I have no idea why I would be there, however I'm sure I will have a very good reason" replied Dumbledore. Why was he there? Surely nothing bad could happen to Lily's Muggle relatives could it?

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

So it is McGonagall, thought Dumbledore with a small smile.

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again—the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

"**Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

"I knew it" muttered Sirius and Remus smiled.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

"**How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

"**My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

"**You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

Everyone laughed.

"I always loved McGonagall's sense of humour" said Lily.

"**All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

"**Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no—even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls… shooting stars… Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent—I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

"**You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"Eleven years?" said James in awe.

"The war stops next year?" sighed Molly in relief as she hugged Ron.

"But if it's our Harry they keep mentioning then this happens when he's one!" said a horrified Lily. "What could a one year old possibly do?"

"I don't know" said James "I just hope he's okay."

Everyone cast worried looks over at the family. Nothing that bad could happen to them. At least they hoped nothing bad happened.

"**I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumours."**

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"**

"**It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

"Typical Dumbledore" said Sirius, causing most people to smile

"**A what?"**

"**A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

"**No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone—"**

"**My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense—for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort." Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."**

"But that's because you're the only person You-Know-who is frightened of" said Arthur smiling.

"You flatter me," said Dumbledore smiling.

"**I know you haven't", said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You Know—oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."**

"**You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

"**Only because you're too—well—noble to use them."**

"**It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

Everyone started laughing at that. Even Dumbledore.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumours that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

"Oh good, I can't wait to hear this" said Sirius eagerly.

Everyone else, especially Dumbledore, looked anxious to hear what finally stopped him.

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

"**What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. **

"Oh no!" said Lily as James wrapped his arms around her and Harry who was in her lap and looked worried. Everyone was watching them with concern.

"What's wrong Arthur?" asked Dumbledore as he looked over and saw tears in Arthur's eyes. For a reply he kept reading.

**The rumour is that Lily and James Potter are—are—that they're—dead."**

"No" whispered Sirius going pale. And Remus started to cry.

Lily started sobbing into James shoulder. James just sat there with a look of totally disbelief on his face. He must have failed them, he hadn't protected him wife and son… Tears started falling down his face.

Molly leaned against Arthur as the tears started pouring down her face. Even the twinkle seamed to go out in Dumbledore's eye.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

"No" roared Sirius, leaping up and startling everyone. He rushed over to James and Lily and he hugged them. Remus followed soon after and for a few minutes everyone just sat about crying.

"I think it's best if we keep reading" said Dumbledore quietly after a few moments had passed. Arthur nodded and Sirius and Remus both went back to their seats though they still looked pale.

"**Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…"**

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know… I know…" he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But—he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke—and that's why he's gone."**

"What!?" gasped James and Lily. "He tried to kill my son!" yelled James murderously. Sirius was also looking mad and a shadow of a wolf could be seen on Remus's features. It was bad enough Voldemort killed their two best friends but he wouldn't get away with attacking their unofficial nephew.

"Harry broke Voldemort's powers?" asked Lily. "But how? He's just a baby! How could a baby do something like that?"

Everyone looked shocked, James especially. He hadn't thought of that. His son had defeated Voldemort. He was going to be a really powerful wizard one day.

Dumbledore for once didn't know how this had happened. He would have to research it when he got back to Hogwarts.

**Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

"**It's—it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done… all the people he's killed… he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding… of all the things to stop him… but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

"**We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

"Do you have any guesses now, sir?" asked Remus.

"I'm afraid not Mr. Lupin, but I shall research some when I go back to Hogwarts." Replied Dumbledore.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

"**Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"**

"I think we'd all like to know that" muttered Sirius, glaring at Dumbledore.

"**I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."**

"WHAT!" yelled everyone in the sitting room as they all glared at Dumbledore.

"How could you take my son to that that woman!" roared James looking mad.

"What about me?" yelled Sirius. "I'm Harry's godfather. If anything happened to James and Lily I would look after Harry!"

Harry and Ron started to cry at the load voices. Molly bounced Ron on her lap trying to calm him down, whilst Lily held Harry tightly and whispered comforting words to him.

Dumbledore looked thoughtful. Why would he take Harry to Mrs. Dursley? Unless it was for Harry's own safety, but he didn't see how it would help him. Remus was shocked. He had always admired Dumbledore but he never would have believed Dumbledore would do something like this.

"**You don't mean—you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore—you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son—I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!"**

"At least Minnie will talk some sense into you." Muttered Sirius.

"**It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."**

"A letter?" repeated Molly faintly. "How can you possibly expect to explain everything that happened in a letter?"

"**A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous—a legend—I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future—there will be books written about Harry—every child in our world will know his name!"**

"Oh no." sighed Lily. "I just hope he isn't as big-headed as you are." She said looking at James. "If he is then this is going to be bad."

Sirius and Remus laughed.

James looked at her and smiled. "I'm sure Harry will be fine" he said.

"**Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

"I hate to say it but it does sort of make sense" said Remus.

"But why wouldn't he be brought to one of us?" challenged Sirius. "Or Molly and Arthur? I'm sure we wouldn't have treated him any different."

"Of course we wouldn't have." Said Arthur. "He is still just a boy no matter what."

"I'm sure I had a very good reason to take Harry to the Dursley's." stated Dumbledore. "Whatever the reason I'm sure I did it with Harry's best intentions at heart."

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes—yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

Everyone laughed at that.

"She has some odd thoughts at times" giggled Lily.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily.

"**Hagrid's bringing him."**

"At least we know he is getting there safely" said James.

"**You think it—wise—to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"**I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

"I think we all would." Smiled Lily, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"**I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to—what was that?"**

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky—and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

"My motorcycle?" asked Sirius shocked.

"What are you doing there?" asked Remus eyeing Sirius suspiciously. Knowing Sirius he was most likely trying to get Harry back.

Thank god for that, thought James. At last someone was coming to save his son.

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild—long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

"Er why has Hagrid got my motorcycle?" asked Sirius confused. He loved that bike and doubted he would give it to anyone unless there was a really good reason.

James, Remus and Lily looked confused too. Sirius wouldn't let that bike go unless something was very wrong. Thought he might if it would help Harry.

"You have a motorcycle? Asked Arthur, looking excited. "Do you think I could see it? I love Muggle stuff and…"

"Not now Arthur." Said Molly wearily.

"**Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"**

"**Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."**

"At least he's bringing it back." Muttered Sirius relieved.

"**No problems, were there?"**

"**No, sir—house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

"Oh my…" Lily whispered.

"How did he get that?" asked Molly in hushed tones.

"**Is that where—?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

"**Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."**

"Forever…" echoed Lily sadly.

"**Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

"**Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well—give him here, Hagrid—we'd better get this over with."**

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.**

"**Could I—could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

"Hagrid." Said Lily, James, Sirius and Remus smiling at each other.

"**Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"**

"**S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it—Lily an' James dead—an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles—"**

Everyone looked sad at the reminder that Lily and James died. James took Harry off of Lily's lap so he could play with him for a while.

"**Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two.**

"YOU LEFT MY SON ON THE DOORSTEP!" screamed Lily standing up and turning to Dumbledore. " HOW COULD YOU DO THIS!"

James too looked furious that his son was just left there overnight.

"What if something had happened to him?" whimpered Molly "What if he rolled over and fell, or got really cold?" She pulled Ron closer to her.

"I'm sure that I would have placed spells around Harry to keep him warm and stop any harm coming to him." Said Dumbledore firmly. "Please calm down and let us keep reading."

Lily sat back down but she still was shooting furious looks at the headmaster.

**For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

"**Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

"**Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall—Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

"**I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

"**Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

"You just left him." Said Lily still looking angry.

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley… He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter—the boy who lived!"**

"That's it." Said Arthur. "The end of the chapter at least."

"Well that was… interesting." Said Remus after a pause.

"Interesting?" Repeated Sirius. "That was terrible. I can't believe it."

"Well I guess it's a good thing these books came back to us then." Said Lily.

"How is this good?" asked James looking at his wife like she was mad.

"Remember what the note said?" replied Lily. "That maybe by reading the books things can be changed? Well we can change this. We can find out why Voldemort found us and how to avoid it."

"But if we don't die Voldemort may not be defeated." James said.

"I think," Said Dumbledore quietly, "that we read these books to the end and then we decide what we do. The note also said that people will be coming back to join us to stop any rash actions."

"So if we keep reading these people will turn up from the future and we can ask them questions?" Molly said timidly.

"Yes I believe so." Dumbledore replied.

"Let's keep reading then." Said Remus. "It's the only thing we can really do now."

"I'll read now if you don't mind Arthur." Lily said.

"Of course" Arthur smiled and handed the book to Lily.


	3. The Vanishing Glass

**__****Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters, all works in bold are JK Rowling's.**

* * *

Lily took the book off Arthur and opened it up to the second chapter.

**THE VANISHING GLASS **she read in a clear voice.

"Vanishing glass?" repeated James. "Surely Harry couldn't vanish the glass?"

"He must have." Said Remus. "That's really advanced magic if he did do it."

"I believe your son will become a very powerful wizard." Said Dumbledore smiling at Harry who was still sitting on James' lap.

"Of course he will be powerful." James said proudly.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different coloured bonnets—but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.**

"Why not?" asked Molly. "You don't think they would send Harry to an orphanage do you?" She started to panic at the thought. That was no way for a child to grow up.

"Maybe I came and got him?" asked Sirius hopefully.

"You better have" said James glaring at his best friend.

"Knowing Petunia she let Harry stay but she wouldn't want to." Sighed Lily. She really wished her and Petunia could get on better but she knew it was impossible.

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

"**Up! Get up! Now!"**

"That's no way to wake a child." Arthur said looking shocked.

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

"**Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

"He can't possibly be remembering that night could he?" James asked.

"I don't know" said Remus. "Sometimes children can remember events from when they are young but I'm not sure how he remembered that."

"Hopefully that's all he can remember." Muttered Lily. She hated to think that her son might remember Voldemort. Thankfully nobody heard her.

**His aunt was back outside the door.**

"**Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

"**Nearly," said Harry.**

"**Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

"She's making him cook?" cried Lily looking disgusted at what her sister was doing. Molly also was shocked that Harry was being made to cook. He could only be eleven at the most and no child that age should be cooking.

"She's threatening he?" growled James looking like he wanted nothing more than to go and teach Petunia a lesson.

Sirius was already thinking of various ways to get Petunia for ever thinking or threatening his godson.

**Harry groaned.**

"**What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.**

"**Nothing, nothing…"**

**Dudley's birthday—how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.**

"WHAT!" the whole room, with the exception of Dumbledore and Arthur who was holding Ron, was on their feet glaring at the book.

"I can't believe she would do that!" Lily yelled. She knew Petunia didn't like her but to make her son sleep in a cupboard was crossing the line.

The shadow of a wolf was showing on Remus' face as he tried to control his temper. Harry was family to him and he was being mistreated.

"Why didn't you bring him to me!" roared Sirius, turning to Dumbledore. "He could have had a loving home but instead you decided to put him with this woman!"

"I'm sure I am unaware of how Harry is being treated in the future." Dumbledore said firmly. "If I knew how he was being treated I'm sure I would have taken him somewhere else."

"Why was he taken there in the first place?" Yelled Sirius. "Why would you even consider taking him there?"

"I do not have an answer to that yet Mr. Black yet if I had to guess I would assume in putting faith in a branch of ancient magic that will protect Harry" Dumbledore answered starting to sound impatient.

"And how will leaving Harry with that woman help him?" asked James glaring at the headmaster as he sat down and pulled Lily down with him.

"I believe I'm invoking the right of blood protection. If as I believe Lily died protection her son than Harry will be protected as long as he is living with her he is protected." Said Dumbledore.

Molly sat down but she still looked furious. "But she clearly does love Harry or want him there…" Molly started to say but was cut off by Dumbledore.

"She may not want him there but as long as she took him in she would seal the charm." Dumbledore explained. "Whilst he can call home the place where Lily's blood dwells he will not be able to be touched or harmed by Voldemort or his supporters. It would be the strongest protection I could give him."

Lily still looked furious but she nodded showing she understood the reason even if she didn't like them

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise—unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favourite punching bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

"That brat better not lay a finger on my son." Growled James.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Sellotape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning.**

"He has the Potter genes alright" said Lily smiling at her husband. "Black hair, glasses and skinny."

"Not to mention small" laughed Sirius. "James didn't grow till we got to fifth year I think it was."

"I remember that." Grinned Remus. "Even after the growth spurt he was still short."

Everyone laughed at the banter whilst James blushed red.

"At least he has your eyes" James whispered in Lily's ear.

**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.**

"She won't like that" Grinned Lily.

"Why not?" Molly asked curiously. It didn't seem like a bad thing to ask.

"Petunia hates being questioned" Lily answered still grinning.

"**In the car crash when your parents died," she had said. "And don't ask questions."**

"A car crash." Repeated Sirius in a deadly whisper. "She told him you died in a car crash?"

"I can't believe she would do that." Said Lily looking hurt.

**Don't ask questions—that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

"**Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

"Like it will make any difference. He has the potter hair, brushing it does nothing." Laughed James.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way—all over the place.**

James grinned again.

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel—Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

Everyone laughed, and Harry gurgled happily at the sound making people laugh longer.

"He has your wit Lily-flower." James said as hug gave his wife a one-armed hug.

"Good" said Lily smiling at the son. "That will drive Petunia mad."

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

"**Thirty six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"Why that greed little brat." Said Arthur in disgust.

"**Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, its here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy."**

"**All right, thirty seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

"Oh dear, I hope he don't choke on it." Said Molly worriedly. "Would you excuse me a moment. I have to put Ron down for his nap."

"Would Harry be able to join him Molly?" asked James looked at his sleepy son.

"Of course" smiled Molly. "Bring him up here and we can get them up for lunch."

Once the boys has been put upstairs to sleep and Molly and James had returned downstairs Lily began to read again.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?"**

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty … thirty…"**

"**Thirty nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

"**Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

"No wonder their child sounds so horrible." Said Remus. "They keep giving him what he wants he will never learn how to appreciate what he has."

**Uncle Vernon chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

"**Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction.**

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

"I'd hate to have to look at cats." Said Sirius shuddering.

"I think it would be quite good for you Padfoot" smiled Remus

"You get on with Tibbles" Lily said thinking of their cat at home.

"Like I have a choice" Muttered Sirius quietly so Lily couldn't hear.

"**Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

"See Harry's not fond of cats either." Said Sirius.

"I'm sure Harry is fine with cats." Said James "He just don't like pictures of cats."

"**We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

"**Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."**

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there—or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

Everyone glared at the book again. Dumbledore was starting to wonder if he made the right choice by leaving Harry with his aunt. This wasn't how a child should grow up.

"**What about what's her name, your friend—Yvonne?"**

"**On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

"**You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

"So no different to normal" muttered Lily.

"**And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

"**I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

"Knowing what his father was like when left alone at home I wouldn't put it past him." Said Sirius winking at James.

"Shut up." Muttered James. "It was an accident and you know it."

"What are you guys on about?" asked Arthur looking from on to the other.

"Well during the summer before our sixth year Mr. and Mrs. Potter went out for the day and left me and James at home alone and we decided to play some pranks on each other. I'm not really sure what James was trying to do but there was a loud bang and the walls shook and James almost destroyed the house. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were not happy when they got home and saw the mess." Explained Sirius quickly whilst James glared at him.

Everyone started laughing at James. Even Dumbledore gave a small chuckle and his eyes twinkled brighter than normal.

"**I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "…and leave him in the car…"**

"**That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone…"**

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying—it had been years since he'd really cried—but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

"Brat" muttered Sirius, whilst Molly and Arthur looked disgusted at how this boy was behaving.

"**Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

"**I… don't… want… him… t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**

"I can't believe a child would act like that" said Remus.

Dumbledore was seriously wondering if he made the best choice when he left Harry with the Dursleys. If Harry was treated this badly throughout the rest of the books he may have to consider if it would be better to leave Harry somewhere else.

**Just then, the doorbell rang—"Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically—and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

"**I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy—any funny business, anything at all—and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

Everyone looked angrily at the book.

"You don't think he would actually do that do you?" asked Lily looking worriedly at James.

"He better not" James, Sirius and Remus responded together.

"**I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly…"**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.**

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

"Nothing can stop the Potter hair" Grinned Sirius.

"A week locked in a cupboard" said Lily turning red with suppressed rage. She and Molly shared a look and Molly nodded. If this future happened and Lily and James died she would do everything in her power to stop Harry going to these people.

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls)—The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.**

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump.**

"He apparated!" cried a shocked James.

"I didn't even know that was possible." Said Lily who was also shocked.

"I've never heard of it happening" remarked Dumbledore lightly. "I guess you learn something new every day."

"Thank god he didn't splinch himself" Arthur added. Everyone shuddered at the thought.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage smelling living room.**

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favourite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.**

"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed. "Motorcycles are cool."

"…**roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

"**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a moustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

"My one does." Smiled Sirius.

**Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

"**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."**

"Or maybe a memory." Remus smirked.

"I still hope it wasn't a memory." Said Lily.

"Why?" asked James. "It sounds like it would be a cool memory."

"Yes but if he remembers that then what else might he remember." Lily shot back. Dumbledore looked thoughtful at this and Molly gasped. Everyone else looked confused but instead of answering Lily just kept reading.

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon—they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.**

Everyone laughed loudly.

"He defiantly has your wit" James laughed tickling Lily lightly.

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favourite hobby of hitting him. They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can—but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

"Just how I like them." Said Sirius. He had a dislikes for snakes after all his family had put him through.

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

"**Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

"**Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

"**This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself—no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.**

**It winked.**

"Come again" said James his mouth dropping open. "It did what."

**It winked.**

"How can it wink?" asked Sirius. "That's not normal is it?"

"No" said James looking worried again. "It's not normal."

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

"God don't do that." Sighed Arthur.

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly:**

"**I get that all the time."**

"**I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

"He talks to snakes, and they understand him?" said Lily shocked.

"Is anyone in your family a parselmouth?" asked Molly

"No" said James. "I don't understand how he can be."

"I thought all parselmouths were evil though?" Lily asked "Our son can't be evil."

"I don't believe their all evil" assured Dumbledore. "It just the evil ones are better known."

"**Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

"**Was it nice there?"**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see—so you've never been to Brazil?"**

"This is just weird" muttered Remus.

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump.**

"**DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

"And now he will be in trouble" growled James.

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

"**Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened—one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

"The vanishing glass." Breathed Arthur impressed.

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

"I can't believe he did that" said Lily. "How can accidental magic be that powerful?"

"I think it's where they haven't told him he is magic." Said Dumbledore. If they punish Harry when he does accidental magic and try and force it to stop then it will make it more powerful. It can be deadly." Dumbledore was looking troubled by the end of this. He was thinking of how his sister tried to stop her magic and the consequences it had had.

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amigo."**

Everyone laughed at that. It may be weird but it was still amusing.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

"**But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

"Uh-oh" said Molly.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go—cupboard—stay—no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

"They didn't even feed him" said James looking furious.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. **

"Green light?" asked Lily. "But… surely he couldn't have survived the killing curse?"

"It's impossible" said Remus. "Nobody can survive that."

"But what else could it be?" Lily challenged.

"Why don't we read and find out?" asked James before an argument could start.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.**

"He doesn't even know what we look like?" asked Lily starting to cry. James put a comforting arm around her shoulder.

"Do you want me to read?" he asked.

"No" Lily replied. "The chapters almost over"

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.**

"Wow" said Molly. "He must be really famous."

"If he stopped Voldemort I guess he would be." Said Sirius. "Let's just hope it don't go to his head like it would with James."

"Oi!" cried James in protest, but he knew it was true. It would have made him even more big headed if people did that to him.

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

"That's not right." Said Lily getting angry again. "Nobody should leave a child out just because somebody else doesn't like them."

"If I could I'd go down there and…" James started to say but he was interrupted by a blinding flash of white light and a loud bang in the kitchen.


	4. The Letters From No One

**A/N Sorry it took me forever to write this but I just started back at college so it's been a hectic week.**

* * *

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter Books or any of its characters and the words in bold are JK Rowling's_**

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Everyone jumped at the loud bang from the kitchen. James, Arthur, Sirius and Remus and jumped to their feet and drew their wands, pointing them towards the kitchen. Everyone in the sitting room grew quiet and still, waiting to hear something. After a tense minute voices could be heard from the kitchen.

"Ouch Ron, that was my foot!" came a female voice.

"Sorry!" a male voice replied. "I thought it would be a smoother landing."

"At least we made it in one piece." A new female said brightly.

"Yeah that's a real comfort." Said a second male sarcastically.

"Shhh!" Came the first female again. "I think they can hear us."

There was the sounds of scuffling and several people getting up.

"What do you recon Harry mate?" asked the second male. "Wands out just in case?"

"Yeah" replied the person who must have been Harry. "But just as a precaution. I don't really want to start duelling with anyone."

In the sitting room James, Arthur, Sirius and Remus looked at each other. Arthur edged forwards towards the kitchen with James, Sirius and Remus behind him. As they entered the kitchen a strange sight met their eyes. Four people stood in the kitchen with their wands out. They all looked in their late teens and they all were looking rather nervous.

The first female had rather bushy hair and a strange-looking scar on her arm. She was rather tanned as if she had been somewhere hot recently. The second female had flaming red hair and was looking round the kitchen smiling slightly to herself as if remembering something. She looked younger than the other three people. Standing slightly in front of them was two young men. The first man was tall thin and had brilliant red hair and freckles. He was also looking around the kitchen happily. The second man standing there looked exactly like a younger version of James, except for his eyes which were green and a scar on his head which was shaped like a lightning bolt. The two groups faced each other for a moment before the younger group lowered their wands. After looking uncertainly at each other James and Arthur lowered their wands and after a second Remus and Sirius lowered theirs.

"Err hello." Said the girl with bushy hair stepping forward slowly. "My names Hermione Granger. This is Ron and Ginny Weasley" she pointed to the two redheads. "And this is Harry Potter." She pointed to the last man.

"James Potter." Said James. "And this is Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Arthur Weasley." Everyone nodded as their name was said.

"Don't worry, we know who you all are." Said Harry. "I guess you decided to read the books then."

"Yeah" said Arthur. "So far it's not going well though."

"Why is that?" asked Ginny.

"Well you didn't have the best start in life or the best upbringing did you?" James said looking at Harry.

"No I didn't" Harry replied. "But things do get better."

"Err shall we go in then?" asked Ron. "It will be good to start reading."

"Sure" said Arthur. "This way."

As they entered the sitting room Molly and Lily gasped. After introducing themselves to Molly, Lily and Dumbledore the new comers went and sat themselves down.

"So your my son all grown up." Said molly looking at Ron.

"Err yeah" Ron replied.

"Are you a cousin or something dear?" She asked looking at Ginny.

"No" said Ginny trying to stop herself laughing. "I'll explain later."

"Shall we read? We can catch up more over lunch" asked Remus who was waiting to get started.

"Of course. Sorry Remus." Said Arthur.

"**THE LETTERS FROM NO ONE**" Remus read

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

"When is Dudley's birthday Harry?" asked Sirius.

"It's at the end of June." Said Harry confused. "Why?"

"So your telling me that you was locked in that cupboard for almost three weeks?!" Sirius growled angrily. Lily and James also looked furious about this now they realised what Sirius was on about.

"About that" said Harry shrugging. "It's in the past now. I'm not going back to live with them so I try not to think about what they was like."

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favourite sport: Harry Hunting.**

"_Harry Hunting?"_ snorted Ron. "Seems like nobody likes you mate."

"Well I like him." Said Ginny giving Harry a kiss on the cheek. Molly, Arthur, Lily and James all looked surprised by this but didn't say anything.

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny.**

"Why would it be funny?" asked James. "Not that it matters because Harry would be off to Hogwarts anyway."

"Well some people think that if they go to private schools are better than people who go to public schools. But it don't make a difference what school what go to what matters is what you chose to do there." Said Hermione

"Oh" James replied looking more confused.

"**They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

"He better not!" growled Lily angrily.

"**No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it—it might be sick." Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said.**

Everyone laughed and even Dumbledore gave a small chuckle.

"Thank god you have your mothers wit" said James "She would have said something like that."

Harry grinned. It was so wonderful to see his parents laughing and joking.

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

"Speaking of cake, when's lunch?" asked Ron looking at Molly.

"Must you always think with your stomach Ron?" asked Hermione sighing.

"I don't always think with my stomach…" Ron started to argue back.

"How about I do lunch after this chapter?" Molly asked before anyone could start bickering.

"Sounds perfect mum." Ginny said.

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

"That's the most disgusting uniform I've ever heard of." Said Sirius looking ill.

"I think it sounds quite interesting." Smiled Dumbledore. "Perhaps we should change the Hogwarts uniforms to that."

Everyone laughed at the look on Sirius' face. "You've got to be joking!" He said loudly.

"Yes Mr. Black I am. However I feel it would make a good prank one day." Dumbledore replied with his eyes twinkling.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.**

Everyone laughed at this.

"You didn't really crack your ribs did you?" asked Lily concerned.

"No I didn't." said Harry grinning. "But I ached for a few days."

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in grey water.**

"**What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

"Is she still like that?" asked Lily.

"I think so." Said Harry. I haven't seen her for more than a year."

"**Your new school uniform," she said.**

**Harry looked in the bowl again.**

"**Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

Everyone started laughing again.

"Oh Harry." Said Ginny through her laughter. "Sometimes you can be so thick!"

"**Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things grey for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."**

**Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High—like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.**

"What a horrid child" said Arthur.

"Dudley has gotten better now." Said Harry. And all it took was being attacked by Dementor's, he added silently.

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

"**Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

"**Make Harry get it."**

"**Get the mail, Harry."**

"**Make Dudley get it."**

"Did you really think that would work?" asked Hermione.

"No but it was worth a try." Harry replied.

"**Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill and— a letter for Harry. **

"Hogwarts." Sirius cheered happily. "It has to be them."

Everyone looked relieved that Harry would be getting out of the Dursley's. Only Remus noticed the look that the time travellers shared and it worried him.

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. **

"WHAT!" cried James. From upstairs came the sound of crying.

"Oh dear that's the boys." Said Molly. "Shall we go get them Lily?"

Lily and Molly went upstairs to get the babies whilst James turned towards Sirius and Remus.

"So first off you didn't even look after my son when we were killed." He winced a bit as he said that remember that Lily died. "But then you don't even write to him! Sirius you're his godfather! And Remus you're just like an Uncle to Harry! WHERE ARE YOU TWO?"

Sirius and Remus both looked down ashamed. James was right, of course, Harry was family and they should have been there for him.

"Dad!" said Harry standing up and looking shocked. He never thought his dad would yell at his best friends. "Dad there is a perfectly good reason that Sirius and Remus are not in my life and they will be explained in the following books. But please, don't get mad at them until you know what happened."

James still looked angry but he nodded and Harry sat back down. After a moment Lily and Molly came back down carrying baby Harry and baby Ron.

"Aww." Cooed Ginny and Hermione, making both Harry and Ron go red.

"Ready to read?" asked Molly.

**Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives—**

James shot Sirius and Remus a dirty look but stopped when he saw Harry watching.

**he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

**Mr. H. Potter**

**The Cupboard under the Stairs**

**4 Privet Drive**

**Little Whinging**

**Surrey**

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald green ink. There was no stamp.**

"Stamp?" asked Arthur excitedly.

"I'll explain later." Hermione smiled at Arthur.

**Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.**

"Woo! Hogwarts!" cheered Sirius.

"**Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.**

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.**

"No don't open it at the table!" cried Lily.

"Why not? Asked James looking confused.

"Because Petunia will recognise it and take it off of him!" Lily answered.

Harry smiled. Well she's almost right, he thought.

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.**

"**Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk."**

"**Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!"**

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

"Damn" muttered Sirius.

"**That's mine!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.**

"**Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the greyish white of old porridge.**

"That sounds lovely" said Ginny sarcastically.

"**P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

"**Vernon! Oh my goodness—Vernon!"**

"Wow they knew each other's names!" said Lily making everyone laugh.

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

"Someone really needs to teach that boy some manners" said Molly

"I know you said he was bad, but I didn't think he was that bad." Said Ron and Hermione and Ginny nodded in agreement.

"**I want to read that letter," he said loudly.**

"**I want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's mine."**

"He should be allowed it as it's his" James said.

"It's illegal for them to take his mail." Hermione added. "At least it is with Muggle mail."

"**Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

**Harry didn't move.**

"Good on you Harry." James smiled.

"That's the Gryffindor spirit" said Sirius proudly.

"**I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted.**

"**Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.**

"**OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor.**

"We really need to teach you how to fight." Said James looking at Harry.

"I don't think that's a good thing to teach our son, no matter what time he's from." Said Lily sternly.

"Yes Lily-flower." James smiled but when she looked away he winked at Harry.

"**Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address—how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

"**Watching—spying—might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"You're not that important." Snorted Ginny.

"**But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want—"**

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

"**No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer… Yes, that's best… we won't do anything…"**

"I'm afraid that won't work." Said Dumbledore. "If we don't get a reply we keep writing."

"**But—"**

"**I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.**

"**Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?"**

"Good Harry." Said Arthur. "Straight to the point."

"**No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it."**

"**It was not a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it."**

"**SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

"**Er—yes, Harry—about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking… you're really getting a bit big for it… we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom."**

"HE WHAT!" everyone except the time travellers and Dumbledore yelled. Baby Harry and baby Ron started to cry and the noise.

"He has a spare bedroom and you still have to sleep in the cupboard!" James looked furious at this.

"I can't believe they would do that." Said Lily as she tried to calm baby Harry down.

"So that's why you don't like small spaces?" Ginny asked looking at Harry. Harry nodded and Ginny gave him a hug.

"Can we keep reading?" asked Harry after a minute.

"**Why?" said Harry.**

"**Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."**

**The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. **

Everyone glared angrily at the book again.

**It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbour's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favourite program had been cancelled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.**

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't want him in there… I need that room… make him get out…"**

"Brat" muttered Remus before he continued reading.

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

"More letters will be sent" assured Dumbledore.

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back. Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive—'"**

"Yeah get it Harry" cheered Sirius.

"He does know he's yelling at a book right?" Hermione whispered to Ron. Ron snorted with laughter and out the corner of her eye he saw Remus grin.

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.**

"Damn!" Sirius growled.

"**Go to your cupboard—I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry. "Dudley—go—just go."**

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

"Oh no!" groaned Lily, Sirius and Remus.

"What? "asked Harry

"If your plans are anything like your fathers this is going to go horrible wrong." Lily groaned.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.**

**He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door—**

"That's a pretty good plan actually." Said Sirius impressed. "You must have your mothers brains."

"Oi!" cried James while Lily laughed.

"**AAAAARRRGH!"**

**Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat—something alive!**

"What the…" started Arthur but Remus kept reading.

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face. **

Everyone roared with laughter. Baby Harry and baby Ron giggled with everyone else.

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink.**

"**I want—" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes.**

"Git" said Sirius.

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.**

"**See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up."**

"Like that would ever happen." Said Arthur smiling.

"**I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

"**Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.**

"I'm rather glad my mind don't work like them." Said Molly. "They don't sound like very nice people."

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom.**

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises.**

"Goodie he's frightened." Grinned Sirius.

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.**

"This is brilliant." Said Ginny.

"Yeah" agreed Ron "Why did you never tell us this Harry? It's hilarious."

"**Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement.**

"Everyone" said Ginny and Ron together.

"Really?" asked James in surprise.

"Well yeah" said Ginny. "When we were growing up Harry was the most famous person in the wizarding world. Everyone wanted to talk to him."

"He still is the most famous person in the wizarding world." Said Ron.

"Yeah but now you lot are famous with me." Harry grinned.

"Why are you famous?" asked Molly looking at her future son.

"You'll see." Said Hermione. "We don't want to tell you things before they happen."

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

"**No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today—"**

"Wizards get post everyday" Lily said smiling.

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one—**

"Yeah catch one Harry!" cheered James and Sirius.

"**Out! OUT!"**

**Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall. When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

"Wow" whistled Ron. "That's a lot of letters."

"**That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his moustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"**

**He looked so dangerous with half his moustache missing that no one dared argue. **

"Dangerous?" asked Sirius "I thought he would look more amusing then dangerous."

"He did actually look rather mad like it." Said Harry.

**Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.**

"So they do know how to treat that brat when his misbehaves." Muttered Arthur.

"He may be a brat but no child should be hit by their parents." Said Molly looking concerned.

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while.**

"**Shake 'em off… shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

"My god." Lily said looking at Harry. "You really did drive him mad."

"Only a little bit," Harry grinned.

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.**

"So he finally knew how you felt." Said Hermione smirking.

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering…**

"You really should sleep better." Said Molly

Harry shuddered. He'd been having trouble for the past 7 months. Ever since the war ended he kept dreaming about it and the people who died. Ron and Hermione also looked down. They had bad dreams about the war too but they weren't as bad as Harry's. Ginny took Harry's hand and gave it a small comforting squeeze which he returned.

"What's wrong?" asked Lily.

"We will explain later." Replied Ginny. "Let's keep reading for now."

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

"'**Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk."**

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

**Mr. H. Potter**

**Room 17**

**Railview Hotel**

**Cokeworth**

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

"I think most people would" said Dumbledore.

"**I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.**

"Git." Muttered Sirius again.

"How much is left of this chapter?" asked Molly. "The children need feeding soon."

"Only a few pages, Molly. I'll read through it quickly." Replied Remus.

"**Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a ploughed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.**

"What was he looking for?" asked Hermione bewildered.

"I'm not too sure." Harry shrugged. "I guess he was looking for a place wizards couldn't get to."

"**Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon. Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.**

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley snivelled.**

"**It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television."**

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday—and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television—then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday.**

"Oh that's wonderful!" exclaimed Lily looking happy.

"Yeah but isn't the date that the Hogwarts letter has to be returned by the same as Harry's birthday?" asked James.

"Oh. I forgot that. You must have cut it pretty fine young man." She said glancing at Harry.

"Sorry mum." Harry grinned back. Lily smiled. Harry looks so much like James when he smiles, she thought.

"So how did you manage to finally get a letter?" asked Arthur.

"Wait and see." Harry smirked.

**Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun—last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

"They didn't even give you presents?!" Lily and James said. They looked at each other feeling bad. They couldn't help that Voldemort had like they had let their son down.

"It's ok mum, dad" said Harry looking at their sad faces. "Once I get to Hogwarts and that I start getting some of the best presents ever." He smiled to himself thinking of the invisibility cloak, marauder's map and the photo album he had got.

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

"**Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"**

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.**

"Yeah sounds like a perfect place." Said James sarcastically. "We should get a summer house there Lily." Lily playfully smacked his arm whilst Sirius and Remus laughed.

"**Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron grey water below them.**

"**I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"**

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken down house.**

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.**

"How did you all have a place to sleep if it was that small?" Asked Hermione.

"You'll see" Harry said remember that wondrous night.

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas. He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shrivelled up.**

There was a loud growling in the room. Everyone looked around at Ron who had gone red.

"I'm hungry all right?" he said defensively.

"**Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.**

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

Never underestimate wizards" said Arthur.

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few mouldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

There was growling again in the room but this time it was from Sirius and Remus who was looking murderous.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.**

"Who does write the Hogwarts letter professor?" asked Molly.

"We have a special pen that does it. Replied Dumbledore smiling.

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds… twenty… ten… nine—maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him—three… two… one…**

"BOOM!" cried Sirius, James and Remus at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed.

"Nice to know we all still think the same. Eh, Moony?" laughed James.

"I wish I could say we did" said Remus, "But I was just reading from the book."

"What do you mean?" asked Sirius.

"Well the next work in the book is just that. It says BOOM." Remus explained.

James and Sirius looked at each other and then started laughing again.

"Keep reading Remus." Said Lily. "Otherwise these two will go on all day."

**BOOM.**

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"That's it" sighed Remus.

"Awesome." Said Ginny. "It sounds so much cooler then when you described it."

"Yeah" agreed Hermione. "You just said Hagrid knocked on the door and all that."

"Excuse me" said Molly standing up and giving baby Ron to Arthur. "But I must get lunch done." She hurried off to the kitchen leaving everyone alone in the living room.


	5. Questions and Queries

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or any of the characters, all works in bold are JK Rowling's.**

"Well whilst we wait for Molly to make lunch I have a few questions that I would like to ask you if I may." Said Arthur.

"I think we all have question" said Lily taking James hand and holding it tightly. "There are things we all wish to know."

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny looked at each other. They knew this would happen eventually but it was still hard.

"Well it all started about a week ago," Hermione explained. "We were at The Burrow talking and Harry said he wished that there was a way to warn people what happened in the future. Even if it was just a few people like our families so they could stay safe."

"Hermione came up with this idea of putting our Hogwarts years into books and sending them to you but we realised we would have to also come back to explain things. Harry and Hermione invented the spells needed then cast them so we arrived." Added Ron

"That is extremely advanced magic" said Dumbledore frowning. "Only a wizard with powers that equal Merlin would be able to do that kind of spell and have it be successful."

"Warn people against what?" asked Sirius. "Do we all die or something."

The trio and Ginny shared another look.

"There's another war." Harry said grimly. "One that almost destroys the whole wizarding world and Muggle England. It starts in our fourth year and lasted for 3 years. Many people were lost, including some who didn't need to die."

Harry stopped and looked down sadly. Ginny took his hand and held it tight knowing that Harry blamed himself for the deaths that happened.

The room was silent.

"A second war?" asked Remus faintly

"Yeah" Ron muttered. "A bloody bad one."

"RONALD!" Cried Ginny and Molly as she came back into the room. They stared at each other in shock.

"I have to ask as we're here." Started Arthur. "But I'm guessing your related to us somehow. Might I asked how?"

"I'm your daughter." Said Ginny with a slight smile. "Guess you don't know about me yet."

Molly and Arthur were shocked. They looked at each other then back at their teenage daughter. Molly rushed over and pulled Ginny tightly to her in a hug.

"But how?" asked Arthur. "I mean when is your birthday?"

"I was born on the eleventh of august 1981." Said Ginny.

"But that means…" Molly grabbed her stomach. "I'm pregnant…"

"Sorry can we do this later?" asked Sirius. "What about this second war?"

"Yeah how can there be another war?" asked James. "It said that Voldemort was killed when he attacked us…"

James looked at Lily with pain in his eyes. She looked right back at him and she pulled him closer.

"I think lunch is done" Moly said getting up to get lunch. "I'll bring it in here so we can eat whilst we read."

"So how does Voldemort manage to come back?" asked Dumbledore watching them.

Harry hesitated. "I'm afraid we can't answer that. We have already told you a lot so maybe its best to stop the questions there and to keep reading. You'll come up with more questions by the end of this book."

"I think we should take the kids somewhere." Lily said. "I don't want Harry here if things are going to get bad. Why don't we take him to Alice and Frank's?"

"That's a great idea." Said James. "Arthur is it alright if I floo them to ask?"

"Of course." Said Arthur "I'll take Baby Ron over to Aunt Muriel's"

He walked out the room with Baby Ron to tell Molly where he was going whilst James took Baby Harry, gave Lily a kiss and flooed himself over to Alice and Frank's house.

"Arthur said to start eating without him" Molly informed everyone as she walked in from the kitchen a lunch tray full of soup and fresh bread in front of her. "So everyone tuck in." she handed the bowls out and soon the room was full of the sound of spoons scraping against bowls.

Just then the fire place lit up and out stepped James Potter brushing himself off. "Lunch smells good Molly" he said "Is there some left?"

"Of course" Molly said passing him a bowl of soup.

Arthur walked in shortly after James got back and once they has finished their lunch, and after Arthur assured Molly the kids were fine, they settled down to start reading.


End file.
